This application relates to the field of networks of computers and allied devices, and more specifically to networks that specifically include mobile devices.
A number of trends are converging to impact computer networks and the ways in which their users interact. Perhaps most important is the increasing capability of mobile devices, such as cellular telephones, mobile email devices (most notably those sold under the BlackBerry trademark), and personal data assistants (PDA's). Devices actually labeled “computers” are shrinking rapidly in size, having already evolved from “portable” to “laptop” to “notebook” in size. Multi-function devices are now common—BlackBerry brand devices now include cellular telephones, and both they and most cellular telephone devices now include internet browsers as integral standard equipment.
This technical evolution has been accompanied by increasing use of, and reliance upon, such devices by business persons. The general expectation has arisen that a businessperson should be connected by telephone, email and internet at all times and all places.
Rising equipment capabilities have not been accompanied by an equivalent increase in operational capabilities, however. One may be able to use a cellular telephone handset to connect with her business LAN, for example, but the network will persist in treating her as a “computer” user, sending data in a format aimed at a “computer” display. Even email-capable mobile devices, such as those sold by Nokia, which can accept and handle plain text, cannot handle many common document types, such as Microsoft Excel spreadsheets, in a usable manner.
Another aspect of that problem is seen in the fact that many businesses and individuals are amassing data by the terabyte, yet that data is largely inaccessible by mobile users. Even if a person can gain access to a conventional network using his BlackBerry device, for example, the fact that the network is designed for “computer” users limits his ability, working over a mobile telephone signal, to take advantage of network features. Today mobile users are typically supposed to copy the information they will need onto their mobile devices before they leave the office or home environment, subject to the storage limitations on the mobile devices, which leaves no room to handle unforeseen needs for other information while being mobile.
Frustration is compounded by the fact that his data is most probably backed up on a central server. Backup systems, however, are generally designed for the sole purpose of storing data, and their functionality is limited to restoring that data, most often only on the equipment from which it was originally stored, or a substitute.
The shortcomings of conventional networks not only impact users themselves, but also users' interactions with those around them. A common scenario when a business person is away from her home base is a need to share data with a business partner or associate from a different organization. Often, both persons are operating mobile, and what is needed is a capability to use on-hand devices, from the group noted above, to search for, located, transmit and receive data. The problem is often compounded by the fact that mobile device software is generally provided by the network provider, so that even if a user could manage to receive data formatted for her device, she would have problems sharing that data with someone operating on a different network. With conventional networks, all one can do is wait until a network-capable service is available.
At bottom, conventional networks are designed to accommodate mobile devices only to the extent that those devices emulate desktop computers. What is needed is a network specifically designed to service both desktop and mobile equipment, one that allows a mobile user to take full advantage of network functionality from a mobile device. One aspect of such a network should be the seamless provision of data in a manner that fully accommodates a device's memory and screen capabilities. Another aspect of such a network would be the continuous access to user data, with complete search, download and forwarding capabilities.